"Wastend Punk: Sger"

  "People aren't gods. Making mistakes is normal." Qiu Ran, with her straightforersonality, ughed heartily. "By the way, we're almost at Sikkim Settlement."

  "Really?" Li Aozzi g the task destination. "Yeah, it's not far. Get ready."

  "Are you pnning to go head-to-head with them?" Qiu Ran was a bit worried. "I know you and Nomi are very capable, but the others are still outws. It's dangerous. Whatever happens, make sure you prioritize your safety."

  Li Aozzi was taken aback. He looked at Qiu Ran, who scratched her head awkwardly.

  "Did I say something wrong?"

  "No," Li Aozzi shrugged. "It's just been a while sineone showed for me. It's a bit surprising."

  "Is that so? Heh." Qiu Ran was relieved. She loved to ugh, which alut others in a good mood. "I used to be the eldest at home, with two younger brothers and a sister. Seeing you and Nomi, I couldn't help but go into big sister mode. Sorry."

  "It's not bad."

  Li Aozzi ged the topic.

  "Although it's a bit unusual... it doesn't feel bad."

  "Really?" Qiu Ran's eyes lit up. "I'm hoo hear that from you."

  "Is it? Well, you probably see me as a killing mae who 't express emotions." Li Aozzi spread his hands. "I used to be tant, which wasn't good—I'll to down. Starting with cherishing life, I won't kill randomly."

  "Well—holy admitting it is fine, just being yourself is enough."

  Even so, Qiu Ran muttered softly.

  "It's just that killing while smiling is a bit too scary."

  "Don't worry, we won't act immediately. Sikkim Settlement is their territory." Li Aozzi expined. "We'll scout first, then prepare to rescue arieve the medical equipment before retreating. We'll avoid unnecessary trouble."

  "I'll be ready with the car to get you out safely."

  Qiu Ran ched her small fist, knowing her role as a non-batant.

  "My driving skills are no worse than Nomi's."

  Li Aozzi nodded. He looked down at his attire: he was still wearing the patient gown from Abyss Humanitarian Relief, with a yer of cotton clothing over it, which didn't fit the outer world.

  Entering Sikkim Settlement, he needed a ge of clothes.

  "Blending in makes it easier to move around."

  Li Aozzi opehe game mall, found the clothiion, and scrolled to the bottom.

  Half an hour ter, they saw a small mountain in the distahe dark rock blocked the wind and snow. At its base and half, a cluster of metal s formed a makeshift settlement. Upon closer iion, the chaotic metal tainers had been turned into tightly sealed metal houses.

  There were no signs, no walls; it looked like a filthy er of a kit, with excrement and campfires everywhere. The surface appeared empty, with only a few figures moving in the ers, engaging in some kind of transa. There was no sign of life otherwise.

  "This is the drifter's settlement." Qiu Ran sighed. "It's like a junkyard."

  "Ha—yawn, good m, is it m already?"

  Nomi, groggy from sleep, kicked Yavano her and peeked into the fro. She g Li Aozzi in the passenger seat.

  "Wow, the imperial guy knows fashion."

  "When in Rome." Li Aozzi put on an unfiltered respirator mask.

  "Qiu Ran, you're steady, e with me to scout. Dress up. Nomi, stay in the car and keep an eye on her."

  "Huh? No fighting? B." Nomi pouted and shrank bato her seat.

  "Okay."

  he settlement, they covered the car with protective and camoufge cloth. Li Aozzi looked at Qiu Ran, now dressed in dark, thick cotton clothing, with a scarf ed around her fad hair. He nodded, ed the around his hand, pulled down his hood, and strode into Sikkim Settlement.

  To the drifters here, they were uninvited guests.

  The woman, ed tightly, looked weak and depe. The man's attire, however, raised arms.

  The gray-bfiltered respirator mask suited agile types who sacrificed breathing fort for mobility. Best not to provoke him; even if you 't beat him, catg him would be tough.

  The yellow-bck coat's length erfect for blog the elements. The single-shoulder bag full of meical parts aal scraps, paired with the mask, marked him as a sger.

  The gray scarf and the g on his neck showed he was a seasoned killer and robber.

  Wearing the scarf indicated he'd been wanted by the four tries or had robbed their voys.

  The red armband with a crossed wrend gear skull on his left arm identified him as a sger.

  [e Name]: Wastend Punk Series—Sger

  [Quality]: Practical

  [Description]: Fashioors disdain this messy attire, but to the outer world, it's lethal because sgers dress like this.

  Sgers are notorious ier world, known for their brutality and engineering skills. Knowledge here is akin to magic, but that's only part of it.

  After the war that ended all wars, old industrial cities were buried in sand and dust, now cimed by sgers.

  Imagihe tless old-era junk buried underground—from children's books to space shuttles. Wild dogs ier world flock to dig out junk, which, with old-era overproduight be better than today's goods.

  Being a sger doesn't require strict tests; it's like being a pirate or bandit. If you acquire five pieces of usable junk through digging, robbing, or stealing, you bee a sger, ruling the outer world. People see this attire and know their junk is the real deal.

  [Price]: 12 credits

  "12 credits for this outfit and safety is a bargain."

  Li Aozzi's high [Charm] attribute made people subsciously associate his demeanor and image with a sger.

  Moreover, Sikkim Settlement, a drifter hub, had no gover, order, or ws. As soon as they stepped into the taireet, a group of ill-iioned drifters targeted them.

  Qiu Ran, sensing the eyes around them, got scared and moved closer to Li Aozzi. He, unfazed, casually pced Yavanna's gun in his waist holster, occasionally patting it, reinf his sger image aerring some people.

  "These tainers on the surface have numbers—hey, this word seems to mean 'cargo.' Are these tainers?" Qiu Ran curiously looked around and soon made a discovery.

  "Of course, this pce was a sea in the old days." Li Aozzi said casually.

  "Sea?" Qiu Ran was fused. "What does the sea look like?"

  "Blue, with a bit of dark bck. But it's just a bunch of water, so when you scoop it up, it's colorless and transparent. The sea looks calm from afar, but it's always ing. Sometimes the waves reach dozens of meters, smashial masts to pieces."

  Li Aozzi spoke casually, while Qiu Ran, who had never left the hemisphere city, listened ily.

  "Under our feet... it was all water? That's too expensive. 500 ml of filtered water costs 2 Derbies."

  "Actually, in the past, 70% of Blue Star was covered by water, with the deepest treens of thousands of meters deep, unreachable by submarines."

  Li Aozzi noticed three to five drifters approag. They wore motorcycle helmets and carried makeshift firearms and clubs.

  "Hey," the tall, thin leader rasped, grinning at Li Aozzi. "New here? The girl looks nice, how much per pound?"

  "Per pound?" Qiu Ran hadn't reacted when a swishing sound broke the air.

  Whack!

  The swung, and with a flick of Li Aozzi's wrist, it struck the tall man's temple, killing him instantly with red and white spttering.

  The other two hadn't reacted when Li Aozzi kicked the right-hand man in the knee. As he screamed and tried to raise his gun, Li Aozzi looped the around his ned yanked over his shoulder.

  The st man swung his club at Li Aozzi's head. Li Aozzi kicked him in the groin, the sound of crushed eggs making the man's face turn purple and limp.

  "Uh..."

  Before he could react, Li Aozzi punched his throat with the -ed fist, shattering it and knog him out.

  At the same time, he yahe , crushing the windpipe of the man strangled by it. He struggled briefly before slumping unscious.

  Without guilt, Li Aozzi looted the bodies, finding 7 military-grade bullets and 6 fluorest caps.

  "So poor, why bother robbing? Waste of my time."

  Li Aozzi looted while muttering, his swift as and words meant to deter the surrounding people.

  He took the crude double-barreled shotgun, simir to Tetsuya Yamashita's relic, showing it off before kig the bodies aside for the drifters to take.

  "Let's go."

  Qiu Ran was stunned, and Li Aozzi dragged her along, skillfully navigating the tainer area. She gnced back, seeing the bodies had already disappeared.

  "How much per pound?"

  The words echoed in her mind, linking them to the vanishing bodies and the green-glowing eyes of drifters along the way.

  Qiu Ran shivered.

  Laws are the bottom line of morality, and the outer world had her ws nor morals.

  FAL